


With Nothing To Lose

by FapItFelix



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Angst, Canonical Character Death, Death, M/M, Tearjerker
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-10-10
Updated: 2011-10-10
Packaged: 2017-10-24 11:52:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/263188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FapItFelix/pseuds/FapItFelix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Dave finds John's body lying on the altar, he believes to be in a doomed timeline. So the only choice of action is to go back in time and fix things. Because there can't be an Alpha Timeline without your hero. But no matter what he does, nothing can stop John's death.</p><p>Note: Fic is complete on the kink meme, but I can't find it and I don't have the chapters saved. If you can find my fic for me on the kink meme livejournal, please send it to me so I can post the rest here! Thanks!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Anonymous](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anonymous/gifts).



> This was a Kink Meme fill for http://homesmut.livejournal.com/9406.html?thread=14974654#t14974654
> 
> It will be updated as well as the kink meme version as time goes on.

==>  _Your name is Dave Strider, and this is not how you thought meeting your best friend in person would happen._

You stand over his body. John is laying back on a large, blue, altar-like bed. Blood is flowing down the front of his shirt and dripping to the floor. Fireflies had been all around before your arrival, only leaving when you reached the edge. The slice in his chest is precise and sharp; it must have been made by Jack Noir shortly before the lights which prompted your arrival. No one else could have gotten such a clean cut on him so easily. 

Only moments before, lights were shining brightly in the sky of your home planet. You watched them in the sky, appreciating the beauty of it for a few long moments. Then you could feel in your gut that something was amiss. This wasn't right. You had followed the lights instinctively, using all the items you could alchemize to help you travel to this planet. You had hoped for something good to be here when you arrived.

But there wasn't.

Your best friend is right before you. Dead.

You try not to panic. A Strider never panics. All this does is prove you're in a doomed timeline. There can't be an Alpha Timeline without all of you. Without John. But you still have hope. You just need to figure out where this timeline went wrong and then fix the problem. After all, you're the Knight of Time. You got this. You can fix anything with a little bit of time travel. Even a doomed timeline. Even the doomed timeline you are living in right now, doomed as well to die just like John did.

You sit down on the edge of the bed, staring down your best friend's face for the first time. He looks so peaceful laying there like that. Your heart clenches a bit, slowly drawing the air from your lungs. His face seems just as dorky in person as it had on webcam; you wouldn't have expected any less. This would have made you smile a bit thinking about it, but you're trained not to smile. But the thought was there. The knowledge that this boy before you was your friend for so long, and you finally get to see him face to face.

You know in your heart you need to go back and fix things immediately. You want to be able to talk to that idiot in person for once. To see his face. To hear his voice. To be with your best friend besides sitting next to his lifeless corpse. 

Messages begin to flood your iShades, but you ignore them for now. You have more important business to attend to. Whatever they have to tell you, it can wait until you fix this. You just need to save John, that's all. Then everything will be fixed. Life can go on and you'll be back to being the Alpha timeline. But you know your friends will try to change your mind to something safer. Something with less probability of a thousand dead Daves all over the place.

So you need to do this alone.

Taking a deep breath, you finally stand up on your feet. First thing is first. You need to go back in time and stop John from reaching this bed. You need to be near him to protect him. You need to be there to stop Jack Noir. You need to meet him sooner, and all of this will be better.

Right?

A Strider never second guesses. A Strider will just do it.

So you take a deep breath, glance at your friend's body one last time, and make your first jump back in time.


	2. Chapter 2

==>  _Go back an hour._

You are now back in time by an hour. You appear in the same spot as you were previously standing, though with considerably less dead John. To make sure of this, you look at the altar bed. John isn't there. Good. So you still have a chance.

Pleased with yourself, you start to head back towards the main staircase. Any moment now, John should be rushing up those stairs to his known demise. But now you know better. You know how to stop this from happening. 

You take a moment to look at the alter he had been laying on. It looks almost like a bed, and has a wave symbol on it. You sit down on it like you had before, and you notice how uncomfortable it is. What, did John lay down here to take a nap? This bed seemed extremely uncomfortable. You can't imagine why he would be laying on it, unless he was told to do so by one of those trolls.

That's probably it. He'd been talking and trusting the trolls more than more. You've already proven to him once that they're up to no good, or at least don't know what they're talking about half the time. Future Timeline Dave had came back and stopped John from dying once already. So now it was your turn to do it again. It was always up to you, future and present, to fix the shit John did.

So you sit at the top of the stairs, finally checking the messages you've been receiving to pass the time it'll take him to get up here. Two people seem to be pestering you right now; Terezi and Rose. You decide to answer Rose first, not really wanting to talk with Terezi right now.

 

\-- tentacleTherapist [TT] began pestering turntechGodhead [TG] --

  
TT: Dave.   
TT: What are you doing?  
TT: We need to be discussing our course of action for the Green Sun. Have you gotten a map yet?  
TT: Hello?  
TG: does it really matter what im doing right now  
TG: the plan for the green sun doesnt work anymore  
TT: What?  
TG: can you not read the words i spelled out or should i try again  
TT: No. I am perfectly capable of comprehending what you have put forth on the screen.  
TT: I am more wondering why our plan does not work anymore.  
TG: because john died  
TT: Wait. Are you serious?  
TG: does this look like im not serious  
TT: He can't be dead.  
TG: how the fuck not   
TG: just look im fixing it ok  
TG: leave it to me  
TT: I don't quite understand how you plan to fix this. This doesn't seem like something easy to avoid.  
TG: i got this ok im just going back in time a bit to stop his death.  
TG: no worries  
TG: I got this  
TT: I really don't think that's going to work.  
TT: Won't it end up just creating more doomed timelines?  
TG: well fucking excuse me if im trying to save his ass

\-- turntechGodhead [TG] ceased pestering tentacleTherapist [TT] --

 

==>  _Your name is Dave Strider and you are not too happy with your friend Rose._

So be it if you don't want to submit yourself to a doomed timeline. Your or your friends. Especially John. It seems he has gotten the worst of this entire situation.

You sit for several minutes on those steps, still ignoring the incoming messages of Terezi. You are not in the mood to talk to her; You do enjoy talking to her, but... she wouldn't understand. This is important. You don't have time for her. You need to save John's ass since he apparently can't save it himself.

You take this time to look around. It's not like you have been here before. So you look out over the steps to take a good look at John's area. The entire place is multiple shades of blue, comprised of glowing, pulsating rocks. Streams of oil run down like rivers. These large salamander creatures seem to be inhabitting it. Imps are on the run around the general area, but don't seem to be doing much harm. You can't help but think this land is perfect for John. Its so blue, just like the color he types in. And all those creatures seem like something he'd really enjoy being around. You could imagine him reenacting lame movie scenes with them. He probably would.

Then you hear something, and you stop staring at the land to take a look back towards the staircase. There are footsteps in the distance. Faint, but getting louder. You stand up slowly, crossing your arms and waiting at the top of the steps. They get louder, and soon you can see John running up the stairs at full speed.

It takes a moment for him to notice you there. He stops in his place... then begins running faster than he had previously, bolting forward to stop directly in front of you.

“Whoa! Dave! Is that you?” He says excitedly, a silly grin plastered on his face. Just like you knew it would be.

“Yeah.” You say right back. Before you know it, he's jumped at you full force into a hug.

That was not expected. You feel your heart flutter a bit as you stumble backwards slightly, though you don't lose balance and manage to keep yourself on two feet. A bit awkwardly, you uncross your arms and hug him back. He's clinging to you tightly, his head nuzzled in the crook of your neck. You hadn't thought of this before, but he turned out to be slightly shorter than you. He's almost on his toes to reac his head there.

The hug is brief. You soon let go.

“John.”

John looks at you, wondering what's up. Then he realizes he's been hugging you so tight, so he quickly lets go. “Oh shit! Sorry man!” He laughs a bit, his eyes not leaving your face. “I just really wasn't expecting to see you here!”

You can't help wanting to smile. He looks like a puppy, the way he's smiling like that. Like you're the greatest fucking thing to ever land before him. “Well, get used to it.” You respond, crossing your arms again. “Though right now we have more important things to worry about than me being here.”

The smile on John's face begins to fade. “Wait. What's wrong?” John's voice shows valid concern.

“You think I came all the way here for a cuddle fest? We have important shit to do.” You respond, your voice still as deadpan as it always is. John's half smile has completely faded now.

“Do you think it can wait? Vriska was telling me to go to the top of this altar.” John said back. Concern was definitely showing on his face at this point. 

“No. It can't. Just fucking trust me on this, okay? You don't want to go there.” You begin to clench your fists slightly from where they are. You didn't think you'd have to argue with John. You wanted to just tell him to go somewhere else, and he would. And everything would be fine. But no. He had to go disagreeing with you.

“Well...” John glances over your shoulder at the bed-like altar behind you. “I trusted you that first time, and it saved my ass. So I guess I should again.” 

You let out a small sigh of relief. Good. So he wasn't going to be too difficult. You put your arms down. “Good. So let's get the hell out of here before you get yourself killed.”

“Alright...” John responds back, still not quite understanding what is happening. But he doesn't need to understand. He's going to be okay now. 

You walk by him, going to head down the stairs and away from this grave of a place. 

After a few steps, you realize there aren't the sound of footsteps behind you. He hasn't moved. “John. Come on.” You say, and then turn around to see what the hold up is. 

He's standing in the same spot, looking towards the altar. You stare at him a moment, expecting some sort of response. But he doesn't respond at all. He takes a shaky step back. You follow his eyes to see where he's looking, and...  _oh shit._

Jack Noir is standing right there by the altar. But no, he seems to have a dog's face... he seems to be Bec Noir. Regardless of name, the final boss of your game is standing next to the altar waiting for his kill. You certainly were right on who the culprit is. “John. John come on!” You snap at him, but John stays put in shock.

Cursing under your breath, you run up the two steps and grab onto his arm, pulling him down the stairs with you. He seems to snap out of it now, looking at you with genuine fear on his face. God damn, he should be able to hold out on his own for longer than a second, shouldn't he? Obviously not. So you pull him with you, and together, the two of you run down the stairs.

But it didn't take long.

Bec had reappeared right before your faces, blocking your path down the stairs.

“Shit.” You mutter under your breath. This isn't happening. He's already caught you. You haven't saved John yet.

“I've got this, Dave.” John says, pulling a hammer-like weapon out from his sylladex.

No. You can't fight. You need to live to continue to be the alpha timeline. John, fighting right now is stupid.

But these words can't leave your lips. You don't know what to say. All you know is that a Strider acts. He doesn't stop and run away. So quickly pull your sword out to help this battle. At least... you have a chance at this, right?

Only a split second passes before you see John crumble before your eyes.

Bec Noir stabbed the sword into John's chest and removed it in the blink of an eye. John stood there for a second. He seemed to look down at himself, and at the blood now soaking his shirt. Then fell to his knees.

“John! Shit, no!” You shout. But its too late for action anymore. You see Bec Noir look at you, the sword still in his hand. Fuck. You take another look down at John, then back up to Bec. He is still staring at you, and its only a matter of time before he moves in for the kill. Your eyes meet for what feels like centuries, but is in face only a brief second.

Before he has the chance to kill you as well, you jump back in time again.


End file.
